A Memphis woman told authorities she could no longer care for her pets, so she left them in her house to die.More >>

(WMC-TV) - A Memphis woman charged with animal cruelty after police found piles of feces and seven dead animals in her house will undergo a mental evaluation.

A Memphis judge ordered the evaluation Thursday.

Neighbors said the stench coming out of Deborah Yons' house was so strong you could smell it from the street.

"We see the animal shelter, the police, everybody over here," DeAngelo Brown said.

When police went to investigate the smell October they found six cats and one dog dead. The animals were surrounded by feces.

According to the affidavit of complaint, Yons told investigators she stopped living in the home back in 2007, but let the animals remain in the house. According to court records, the last time she checked on the animals was three weeks police found them dead.

During court Thursday, Yons attorney, Gray Bartlett, asked that she be given a mental evaluation.

"I think the facts of the case merit a mental evaluation - just the allegations themselves," he said. "I think a mental evaluation is warranted in light of the allegations."

Bartlett declined to elaborate, but indicated there were complex issues going on regarding his client.

"There is more than meets the eye here," he said. "There's more than just the allegations that's you've seen, and that will all come to light as the case progresses."